Stage Director and Designer Grant Preisser enjoys a diverse international career across music, theater, design, and education. His 2017-2018 season commenced with a return to UrbanArias in Washington, D.C. directing and designing the new Usonian Edition of Daron Hagen's Shining Brow, conducted by company general director Robert Wood. Grant’s work was seen last season at UrbanArias in their production of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, where he also served as stage director and production designer. This season he returned to Opera Orlando as scenic designer for productions of Brundibar, La Bohème, and Cenerentola, as well as co-directing and designing a new production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. In the winter of this season, Grant will direct University of Michigan’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, conducted by Martin Katz, and this summer he will join Opera Steamboat’s young artist program directing their production of The Cunning Little Vixen.

Last season Grant was the scenic and projection designer for the world premiere of The Woman of Salt by composer Anice Thigpen, directed by Sara Widzer and conducted by Michael Sakir. He returned to the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara as assistant director for L’elisir d’amore working alongside acclaimed director James Darrah and conductor Speranza Scappucci. He also directed part of the OperaFest scenes program working with John Churchwell as music director. Also in 2016-2017, Grant debuted with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra directing a concert version of La bohème, conducted by music director Ward Stare, and directed Lawrence Opera Theatre’s The Magic Flute.

Additional directorial and design experience includes productions of Don Pasquale, Don Giovanni and L'incoronazione di Poppea, as well as original outreach productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the premiere of Lori Laitman’s The Three Feathers in collaboration with the composer. He recently directed and designed a double bill of Campbell and Bolcom's Lucrezia and Ferrer and Piazzolla's tango operita Maria de Buenos Aires, and designed the set and stage projections for Postcard from Morocco.

Having received his undergraduate degree in voice from Florida State University, Grant served as production coordinator for the Florida State Opera for two seasons before attaining a graduate degree in interior design. After establishing himself as a designer and design educator as associate vice president of the Savannah College of Art and Design in Hong Kong, he married his expertise in classical music and design by completing another master’s degree in stage direction and design before beginning his professional directorial career.